Page 7 of Wolf's Midlife Baby

“Oh, that was you!” The young guy behind the counter stared at her with wide eyes. “You okay? Everyone was talking about that!”

A flush of red crept over her cheeks. “I’m fine now.” She didn’t doubt that they’d all had plenty to say about it, and that would probably continue tomorrow when she went to the next phase of their annual meeting. She handed him one of the forms Dawn had given her. “Kevin wanted paperwork to show that I went to the hospital.”

“Right. Cool. I’ll make sure he gets it. I hope your experience doesn’t keep you from using us again.”

“We’ll just have to see,” she said with a smile before they turned and headed back for the door. She hoped she never stepped foot anywhere near Tubular River Tours again, even though none of this had really been their fault. She should’ve been paying more attention, both before she got into the river and after.

Pierce had happened to park right next to her rental, so they headed in the same direction as they stepped out into the parking lot. “Listen, you’ve had a bit of a rough day. I know you’ve had a chance to heal up, but I’m happy to follow you to your place if you like. Just to make sure you get there okay. You did hit your head, so I’m not sure how you feel about driving.”

Oh. Damn. As Holly looked up at him, she could feel her entire existence pulling her toward him. She’d found plenty of men attractive before, and she’d made several stabs at relationships, but nothing had ever quite worked out. This was far more than she’d ever felt, and Holly knew it wasn’t just because he’d saved her life. He was so handsome and sweet, and she was so tempted. She realized, though, that she hadn’t told him the most important thing about herself as they’d been chatting. “I think I should let you know something about me.”

“If it’s that you’re a different species, I already know that,” he cracked. “I don’t know exactly how it would work, but I’m not opposed to it.”

“It's not that!” she laughed, “although I guess that would be new territory for both of us. I’m not from around here. I’m just here for our annual meeting, but I’m actually from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I’m just here for a few days.” Holly paused and licked her lips, wishing all of this had happened differently. She didn’t know how it could’ve been better, considering they lived on two completely separate coasts, but anything that didn’t make this so difficult and awkward would be preferable. “I just…I just thought I should say something before things went any further.”

Pierce put a hand in his pocket but didn’t back away or tell her to forget the whole thing. He thought about it for a second, staring off into the distance over the river, and then looked down at her. “I should’ve put that together earlier, but thank you.” He paused, looking like he wanted to say something else, but his lips didn’t move.

“I should probably get going. I’ve wasted enough of your time as it is.” Not that she wanted to leave him. She liked spending time with him, even if they were just driving around Eugene in his truck. It was simple, but that was all that was required. How could it ever go anywhere, though? She stepped past him toward her car.

His fingertips brushed her elbow. “Holly?”

Her heart must’ve found a jump rope somewhere, considering the way it was bouncing in her chest. “Yeah?”

“I know you won’t be staying, but would you like to see the town from a local’s perspective while you’re here?” His eyes blazed into hers, brilliant and alluring. “I could pick you up tomorrow night and show you some great places, including a few that never make it onto the tourist maps. It might be kind of fun.”

Holly knew she shouldn’t. She had a few days in Eugene for the meeting, and then she’d be flying back home. Going on a date with a stranger would throw a wrench into everything. The logical part of her brain reminded her of just how quickly things could get complicated. Her bear didn’t really care how complicated things got as long as she got to spend more time with Pierce. None of it really made sense, and there was no answer that seemed quite right. “Sure,” came out of her lips despite all of that.

“Great. I’m looking forward to it. Where are you staying?”

“My friend and I are sharing an Airbnb.” She grabbed her phone so she could give him the address and, consequently, exchange numbers. A thrill ran through her as she thought about what she was doing. Holly wasn’t the sort who went to a new town and found a handsome stranger to spend an evening with. In fact, she’d fully planned to spend her evenings there either working on her writing or perhaps knocking back a few glasses of wine with Dahlia. This just wasn’t the sort of thing that happened to her, yet there it was, unraveling right before her eyes.

“Sounds good,” he said, looking up from his cell phone. Their eyes locked.

She felt it, knowing he must, too. The pull between them had been working at them all afternoon, stretching and straining at them like a strong magnet. It was finally getting its way, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Hell, she didn’t even think she wanted to stop it. The space between them closed, and their lips met. Pierce’s lips lingered on hers for a long moment, but he didn’t try to push it further. He stepped back. “Can I pick you up at eight?”

You damn well better after that. “Yeah. That’d be perfect. I’ll see you then.” Holly got in her car before she could make any other wild decisions. Her hands shook as she tried to figure out which key she was supposed to put in the ignition, but then she remembered it had a push button start. Hoping that Pierce wasn’t watching, she fired up the engine on her rental car. Her bear didn’t want to leave him, but Holly knew she needed some distance to calm the hell down.

She sped toward the little cottage she and Dahlia had found online, glad that at least it wasn’t too far away and she knew how to get there. She didn’t need to get lost and have yet another disaster, not today. It was hard to concentrate on traffic in a whole new city when her bear wanted only to think of that kiss. It was the first she’d had in a long time. It wasn’t some big dramatic display, but it sent radiating waves of warmth and excitement through her body. His hand had grazed her hip in the moment, hinting there was more he’d like to do.

Holly enjoyed her quiet life in Cape Cod, but changing coasts would mean changing everything.

4

“Is that what you’re wearing?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Holly looked down at her fitted V-neck tee, jeans, and favorite boots. It was a simple outfit, but that was how she liked them.

Dahlia folded her arms. “You look like you’re going grocery shopping.”

“Is that really so bad? Besides, anything I wear right now is going to be better than the drowned rat look I had going on when he first met me. I still can’t believe the poor guy saw me in my swimsuit.”

“All the more reason to give him the razzle-dazzle,” Dahlia insisted. “What else did you bring?”

“Not much.” Holly sat on the edge of her bed while Dahlia looked through the closet. “Just some comfy clothes for anything outside and a few things for the meetings.”

“You can’t just go to the other side of the country and not plan for at least the chance that you’ll need a nicer outfit,” Dahlia chastised, flicking through the few clothes that Holly had hung up since she’d arrived. “Do you have any heels?”

“Just the ones I was born with,” Holly cracked.

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